Pairings: Tom Hooijenga

Tom Hooijenga

Head Gardener

This is a picture of a May Bug or Melolontha melolontha to be precise. It was found in the Fellows’ Garden, and I have met other live specimens along the North and South Pieces.

This fairly big beetle could spell trouble for us gardeners as its offspring, the grubs, live in the soil and are ferocious feeders on plant leaves and roots. Actually, the close relative of this May Bug is responsible for the dreaded ‘chafer grub’ that as a larvae can wreak havoc on the roots of our College lawns.

What is it about this beetle that immediately struck me on finding it? Is it finding a powerful adversary that can threaten some of our plant life within our carefully balanced eco-systems?

No; it brought back that powerful memory of an evening stroll with our dogs on a warm evening in May, in Brittany, France, where I worked at the time.

That is where I first saw it by the hundreds; clumsily and noisily flying with two remarkable antennae stuck out from its head and protective shields raised to reveal those delicate wings. We had to duck and dive to avoid them hitting us straight on. Heaven knows what our dogs made of them.

So – adversary in its larval state? Or wonderful unrealistic flying machine? Both I suppose, but it is the overriding wonder of Nature that wins the case here. To me, nature is simply awe-inspiring, and there is plenty around for us to find and see at Trinity College!